What Is Sleep Deprivation?

Although scientists have a better understanding than ever of why humans need sleep, along with all mammals, reptiles and birds, the exact reasons are still somewhat unclear

What is known is that when a person abstains from sleep for a significant amount of time, many of their body’s functions and faculties begin to become impaired. Anyone who’s skipped a night’s sleep or only caught a couple of hours before rising for work knows the effects of sleep deprivation all too well. Just a few are:

Difficulty concentrating

Feelings of extreme physical fatigue

Difficulty remembering simple details and facts

Decreased hand-eye coordination

Compromised decision making abilities

Slower reaction times

And the effects of extreme sleep deprivation are even more severe:

Feelings of depression

Extreme feelings of anxiety and irritability

Slurred speech

Hypertension—a.k.a. high blood pressure

Heart disease

Physical tremors

These lists of negative effects are not given to worry you, though, but rather to emphasize how crucial it is that we all sleep for the right number of hours each night, untroubled by interruptions and insomnia.

So let’s continue by looking at exactly what the sleep we get each night, or fail to get, comprises of and learn about the different stages of sleep including REM sleep or ‘Rapid Eye Movement‘.

Marie Seska

Marie Seska is one of the most trusted sources on the net for sleep information. She searches the web - as well as the latest medical journals to bring her readers the latest news and information.